1. Field of the Invention/Technical Field
The following is ‘A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains’:
1. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/150, 210/219, 210/538, 210/608, 210/617, 210/632
2. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/693. 210/502.1, 210/923, 210/924, 210/925
3. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/221.2, 210/109, 210/124, 210/221, 210/221.1, 210/97, 210/217
4. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/660, 210/680, 210/690, 210/922
5. U.S. Class 521 Field of Search: 521/146, 210/639, 521/148
6. U.S. Class 502 Field of Search: 502/401, 210/691, 210/924, 252/184, 252/363.5
7. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/693, 210/502.1, 210/923, 210/924, 210/925
8. U.S. Class 134 Field of Search: 134/4, 134/10, 134/40, 134/6
9. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/242.3, 210/923
10. U.S. Class 210 Field of Search: 210/680, 210/242, 210/693, 210/924
2. Description of Related Art
Oya (2009) describes a treatment apparatus containing waste water, oil and fat that uses enzyme and agitation to decomposition and treatment. Rink et al. (2007) describe oil porous sacks made of a pair of mesh sheets bound together and filled with oil-trapping tubular bodies deployed to collect oil floating on water. Chen et al. (2008) describe a mechanical gasification chamber or vessel used to remove oily matter from water. Arnott (2006) describe the use of crushed glass applied to, and then removed from an oil containing surface. Valkanas et al. (2004) describe a polypropylene net with macroreticular polymers including pylystyrene, trimeric copolymer with styrene, ethylene, butadiene (SEBS) elastomeric (SBR) with styrene saturation and the net is swept on the surface of water basins, harbors or the surface of sea to collect oily matter and petroleum. Solis (2002) describes a flexible ballast feeding pipe containing sorbent material and as the pipe is lowered to a predetermined depth below and oil spill surface, the sorbent is injected through injection nozzles in the pipe into the underwater medium to facilitate uniform oil sorption. Rink et al. (1999) describe porous sacks filled with toroidal bodies of polymers sewn a perimeter ring to retain a flat profice, and a netting that closes to help inhibit outflow of the oil when the sack is retrieved, and the sacks are applied to the water surface by ship or plane, collect oil on the surface and are collected. Allen et al. (1995) describe a land oil spill recover method using a plurality of side-by-side thermoplastic oleophilic fibers meltblown onto the land surface to form an oil absorbent meltblown web thereon. Karlberg (1995) describes a boom system for skimming an oil slick from the surface of a body of water. Allen et al. (1993) describe a method of depositing a polymeric web on an offshore oil contaminated water surface and melting the polymer thereon.
The prior inventions do not describe a Gulf of Mexico oil spill underwater oleophilic hydrophobic oil-capturing water permeable drag-net.